The order book of the 5,000 mm Plate Mill at the Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is 100% full, MMK reported today. In January 2011, the Plate Mill produced 127,000 tons compared to 112,000 tons in December 2010. The mill's full capacity is estimated at 1.5 million tons per year.

Vice-president for finance and economy Oleg Fedonin said: “ММК has retained the leading position in Russia in terms of rolled steel output. We estimate our share in the domestic rolled steel production in 2010 at 17%. The overall growth of MMK finished steel output in 2010 amounted to 17% compared to 2009, while domestic sales growth amounted to 44% exceeding the consumption growth rate in Russia…”

The Russian Ministry of Economic Development has approved the Joint Implementation project “Implementation of arc-furnace steelmaking at Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works”. The project has been implemented in accordance with the rules of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The Metal Expo 2010 award-winning class of steel was jointly developed by MMK and Central Scientific Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy. The new steel products are characterized by high strength and plasticity and yield points higher than 210 MPa (up to 1200 MPa).

Mill 5000, a unique hot rolling unit produced one million tons of hot rolled plates since the beginning of 2010. From January to November 2010, the mill manufactured 1.048 mln tons of hot rolled products including 117,900 tons of November output.

MOSCOW – December 14, 2010 -- Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works, OJSC, (MMK) and GMCS announced today the start of a project designed to create a sales and operations planning system using Supply Chain Planner from JDA Software Group, Inc., The Supply Chain Company. The innovation delivered through this new MMK project will help improve sales and profit, optimize product mix considering existing and perspective logistics and production opportunities.